Roll feed mechanism



1360- 1955 A. J. LEWIS, 8RD

ROLL FEED MECHANISM Filed Oct. 15, 195] INVENTOR Arfhur .ILeu/z's ZZZ.

BY fya/bu/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent ROLL FEED MECHANISM Arthur J. Lewis 3rd, Shelton, Conn., assignor to The Baird Machine Company, Stratford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application October 15, 1951, Serial No. 251,427

18 Claims. (Cl. 271-2.3)

This invention relates to feed mechanisms for feeding wire, strip stock or the like, and more particularly to roll feed mechanism for feeding metal strip stock to presses and similar machines.

Roll feed mechanisms of various types have been used in the past for this type of work, but in some cases difficulty has been experienced in obtaining a proper and uniform feed of the stock to the press or other machine, and it is accordingly one of the objects of the present in vention to provide an improved roll feed mechanism that will overcome these dilliculties.

Another object is to provide a roll feed mechanism of simple, economical and rugged construction.

Still another object is to provide a roll feed mechanism so constituted as to provide a uniform stock feed regardless of variations in thickness which are found in ordinary commercial grades of strip stock which the mechanism is adapted to feed.

A further object is to provide novel means for adjusting and controlling the pressure exerted by the rolls on the stock during feeding.

Still another object is to provide simple and efiicient means for effecting and maintaining separation of the, rollers when it is desired to render the feeder inoperative.

Another object is the provision of means for readily adjusting the feeder to accommodate different thicknesses of stock.

Yet another object is to provide novel means for supporting and positioning the feeder rolls.

A still further object is to insure uniform engagement of the'rolls with the stock over the entire width of the stock.

These and other objects and novel features of the invention will become more readily apparent when considered in the light of the following description and accompanying drawing. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited thereto, reference beinghad to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention. I

Referring to the drawings;

Fig. l is a perspective View of a roll feed mechanism embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective partially exploded view of the mechanism in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a sub-assembly comprising the upper roll and roll carrier shown in'Figs. l and 2, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the lower portion of the vertical guides shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As shown more particularly in Fig. l, the present roll feed mechanism includes a frame 4 adapted to be bolted to a press or other machine, not shown, a roll shaft 5 journaled in journal blocks 6 on the frame as shown and carrying a lower feed roll 7 and an upper feed roll drive gear 8 at the left end of the shaft. The shaft 5 is driven,

ordinarily intermittently, by the machine to which the feed mechanism is attached, by conventional means such as a ratchet mechanism, not shown, connected to the drive carrier support 21.

ice

shaft. To insure proper alignment of the journal blocks on the frame at either end of the shaft, theframe is provided with a pad portion 9 machined flat on the front face with a vertical slot machined in the face at 10 on the right side and in like manner on the left side. A front cover piecell is similarly provided with slots 12 and'13'having the same spacing as the slots in pad portion 9. Like slots 14 are machined on the front and rear faces of journal blocks 6. Four vertical upright key or guide members 15 are fitted into the slots as shown and serve to maint-ain the blocks 6 and cover plate 11 in alignment laterallywith the frame portion 9, the assembly being held together by cap screws 16 extending through the cover plate 11, blocks 6, and upright members 15 into the portion 9 of the frame, As indicated in Fig. 4, the lower ends of guides 15 are provided With'slots 16a through which cap screws 16 pass, thus permittingthe guides to be moved upward or downward for purposes to be described, after which they are clamped in place by tightening cap screws 16-which clamp the above mentioned assembly together. The vertical members extend upwardly above the journal blocks and serve to support the upper roll mechanism and to form parallel guides for a portion of the upper roll carrying mechanism as more fully described hereinafter.

An upper roll' 17 is journal'ed on a U-shaped roll carrier 18- as shown, the latter being machined with flat front guide faces 19 and 20 and corresponding rear faces spaced from and parallel thereto, as well as parallel to the axis of the upper roll, these faces being adapted to slide vertically between the upright members 15 as guides. This arrangement insures that the upper and lower roll axes will: be maintained in a common plane. at all times, while permitting the roll carrier and upper roll to move vertically with respect to the lower roll as wellas toallow the roll carrier to rock between the guides to change the angle between the roll axes in said common plane. An upper roll drive gear 20a is attached to the upper roll at the left end outside of the carrier 18 and is adapted to mesh with gear 8, as in most cases better feeding action is obtained when both rolls are driven.

An upper roll carrier support 21, shown in detail in Fig. 2, is provided with four vertical slots 22 adapted to receive guide members 1-5, and horizontal slots 23 and 24 on the ends thereof adapted to receive locking bars 25 and 26 respectively. This support is mounted on the feeder by sliding it down along the guides 15 until slots 23 register with horizontal slots 27 formed at the upper ends of the guides, whereupon locking bars 25 and 26 are placed inthe aligned slots and held in position to lock the assembly together by cap screws 28' passing through the locking bars and into the upper roll An opening 29 formed in the roll carrier support is adapted to receive the central upwardly extending portion 29a of the roll carrier.

Positioning of the upper roll and carrier in the frame and' adjustmentof the roll spacing to effect or interrupt feeding is effected by a cam shaft or crankshaft 30 having :bea-ringportions 3-1 and 32 journaled respectively in bores 33 and 14 inthe roll carrier support 21, and provided with a crank or eccentric portion 35 journaled in bore 36 of upper roll carrier 18, this bore in the embodiment shown, being at right angles to, and spaced upwardly, from the axis of roll 17', as well as at right angles to the plane of upper roll carrier faces 19 and- 20, the axis of the bore passing through the verticalcenter line of the carrier. Thus the upper roll carrier is mounted for pivotal movement on eccentric 35 and the assembly comp-rising roll 17 and carrier 18 may be moved upward or downward relative to the lower roll .by rotating shaft 30' to change theangular position of eccentric 35; Theshaft ismaintained in the support 21 by a washer 36a and a cotter'key 37 as indicated in Fig.2,

and the shaft is actuated by a control lever 38 mounted on the left end of the shaft as shown. Although in the feeding of heavy stock it is desirable to support the roll carrier 18 against movement axially of shaft 30 by means of guides 15, it will be understood that other means may be resorted to to prevent such movement, as except for such movement, the carrier and upper feed roll are maintained in feeding alignment with the lower roll by virtue of the pivotal mounting of the carrier on crankpin 35 of crankshaft 30, and in any case support 21 limits axial movement of the carrier with respect to the shaft.

The lower end of the lever is provided with a slot 39 and a clamping screw 40, loosening of the clamping screw permitting the angular position of the lever on the shaft to be changed for purposes of adjustment, as will be more fully described hereinafter. An outwardly extending stud 41 on the lower end of the lever is adapted to engage the right end of a control spring device 42 of the tension type, the other end of the spring being attached to an outwardly extending stud 43 on the left end of locking bar 26. With the upper roll and carrier raised to non-feeding position as shown in Fig. 1, the lever 38 rests against bar 26 acting as a stop, and the studs 41 and 43 are so positioned with respect to the axis of shaft 30 as to lie in a line extending above the axis of the shaft. Thus the spring exerts a force tending to rotate the shaft in a counterclockwise direction and acts to maintain the lever against the stop. On rotation of the lever in a clockwise direction, the line of pull of the spring changes and passes below the axis of the shaft, thus rotating the shaft in a clockwise direction and forcing the upper roll and carrier downward and into feeding engagement with the stock being fed. In order that the stock entering the rolls may be properly guided, the cover plate 11 is provided with a transverse T slot 44, and cap screws 45, engaging square nuts, not shown, slideably mounted in the T slot, serve to adjustably position and clamp guide blocks 46 as shown to guide stock of varying widths.

For any given feeding position of the crankshaft or eccentric, the upper roll is positioned by engagement with the stock, by engagement of the carrier with guides 15,

and by engagement of the crankpin with the carrier. Thus in the preferred form of the invention as shown, the carrier and roll are positioned by the crankpin against bodily lateral movement with respect thereto.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a simple and strong mounting is provided for the feed rolls on the frame, and that the roll supporting structure can be readily disassembled for the replacement of worn rolls by removing the two cap screws 16 and the four cap screws 28, whereupon all of the roll supporting parts can be readily removed from the frame 4.

The upright guide members 15, in cooperation with the guide surfaces 19 and 20 on carrier 18, insure maintenance of the upper and lower roll axes in a common vertical plane at all times, while at the same time permitting relative angular movements of these axes in the common plane, the drive gears 8 and 20a being so constructed as to remain in mesh during such angular movements. In feeding strip or bar stock, it is very important that the rolls have line contact with the bar for its entire width, regardless of variations in surface parallelism and in thickness found in bars of commercial grade, and lack of such contact may result in misfeeds and consequent serious damage to the machine to which the stock is being fed. With the upper roll carrier pivotally mounted as on shaft 30, the roll is free to rock on the shaft and engage the bar across its entire width, at the same time forcing the lower surface of the bar into feeding engagement with the lower roll across the entire bar width.

In addition to the requirement that the rolls have line contact with the bar for its entire width if reliable and accurate feeding is to be insured, it is equally essential that the rolls exert substantially the same pressure on the bar at all points along this line of contact. This desirable action is insured by the application of the spring force at the center of the upper roll carrier, as by the action of the spring biased crank 35 in the bore 36. Regardless of the force exerted by the spring 42, the application of this force at the center of the roll carrier insures that this force will be evenly distributed along the entire line of contact of the rolls with the stock, and consequently, only one spring adjustment is necessary to insure that the rolls engage the stock with the required uniformly distributed feeding pressure.

It is desirable that the feed mechanism be adjustable to vary the roll pressure and the roll spacing to accommodate different types and thicknesses of stock, and provision has been made for this. The roll spacing may be varied by bodily moving the entire upper roll carrying assembly, including support 21 and guides 15, upward or downward with respect to frame 4, as shown in Fig. 4, slots 16a are provided in the lower end portions of members 15. The cap screws 16, which clamp the guides in position between the journal blocks and members 4 and 11 respectively, pass through these slots. In loosening of the cap screws the entire assembly, which includes guides 15 and member 21, can be moved upward or downward to change the roll spacing, after which the cap screws 16 are again tightened to clamp the assembly together.

Also the angular position of the crankshaft relative to stop 43 can be varied by changing the angular relationship between lever 38 and the shaft, this being accomplished by loosening the clamping screw 40 on the lever and rotating the lever to a new position on the shaft. This adjustment is complementary to the adjustment above described for varying the height of member 21 above the frame member as will be understood from the following explanation. With a piece of stock of the thickness to be fed placed between the upper and lower rolls and with the cap screws 16 loosened, the position of support 21 relative to the feeder frame can be adjusted so that the angular position of the crankshaft is such as to give the desired leverage, after which the lever position on the shaft is so adjusted as to insure proper separation of the rolls when lever 38 is moved to nonfeeding position against stop 43. If further adjustment of feeding force on the upper roll carrier is desired, a different spring can be substituted for spring 42, the radial spacing of stud 41 from the axis of shaft 30 can be changed, or a crankshaft having a lesser or greater throw can be used.

While the invention has been illustrated and described with considerable particularity, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto, but may take other forms within the limis of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Roll feed mechanism for feeding strip stock ineluding a frame, a pair of cooperating feed rolls, drive means for one of the rolls, means for supporting the rolls on said frame with their axes lying in a common plane and angularly and bodily movable with respect to each other in said plane including bearings on the frame for rotatably supporting said one roll, a movable carrier having bearings for rotatably supporting the other roll, means for guiding and moving said carrier while maintaining said other roll with the axis thereof in said common plane including a crankshaft journaled on the frame and having a crank pivotally connected to said movable carrier, and means including a resilient member connected with said crankshaft for rotating the latter to urge said movable carrier and the roll carried thereby toward said one roll.

2. Roll feed mechanism for feeding strip stock including a frame, a pair of cooperating feed rolls having intermeshing drive gears and provided with drive means for one of the rolls, and' means for supporting the rolls on said frame with the axes lying in a common plane and angularly and bodily movable with respect to each other in said plane including bearings on the frame for rotatably supporting one of said rolls, a movable member having bearings for rotatably supporting the other of said rolls, a crankshaft journaled in the frame with its axis at right angles to said common plane and having a crank pin operatively connected with said movable member, means including resilient means connected with said crankshaft for rotating the latter to urge the movable member and roll carried thereby toward said one roll, and guides on said frame in sliding engagement with said movable member for preventing movement of said movable member axially of said crankshaft and for permitting angular and bodily movement thereof in said common plane.

3. Roll feed mechanism for feeding strip stock including a frame, a lower feed roll rotatably supported on the frame and provided with a drive shaft and a drive gear, an upper feed roll carrier and an upper feed roll journaled thereon having a drive gear adapted to mesh with the drive gear on the lower roll, and means for movably and adjustably supporting the feed roll'carrier and upper feed roll with the axis of said roll constrained to movement in a plane passing through the axis of the lower roll including guides on the frame in sliding engagement with said carrier for preventing movement of said carrier laterally with respect to said plane, a carrier actuator crankshaft journaledon said frame with its axis at right angles to said plane and having a crank pin journaled in said carrier, a lever on said crankshaft for turning the latter to move the carrier and upper roll' toward or away from the lower roll, a stop for limiting the movement of said lever and crankshaft in one direction, and a spring connected between said frame and crankshaft and operative to normally rotate the crankshaft in the other direction to resiliently. urge the carrier and upper roll toward the lower roll, said spring being so connected and positioned with respect to the frame and the axis of the crankshaft as to urge the latter to rotate in said one direction when the lever is positioned against said stop.

4. In a roll feed mechanism of the type having a frame with a lower feed roll rotatably mounted on the frame, means for mounting an upper feed roll on the frame for rocking and vertical movement with respect to the lower roll while maintaining the axes of the rolls in a common plane, said mounting means including a crankshaft journaled in the frame with its axis at right angles to said plane and provided with a crank pin, an upper roll carrier journaled on the crank pin and having an upper feed roll rotatably mounted thereon with its axis to right angles to the axis of said crankshaft, and guide means on the frame in sliding engagement with said carrier for permitting rotation of said carrier on said crank pin and for preventing movement of said carrier axially along said pin.

5. In a roll feed mechanism of the type having a frame with a lower feed roll rotatably mounted on the frame, means for mounting an upper feed roll on the frame for rocking and vertical movement with respect to the lower roll while maintaining the axes of the rolls in a common plane, said mounting means including a crankshaft journaled on the frame with its axis at right angles to said plane and provided with a crank pin, an upper roll carrier journaled on said crank pin and having an upper feed roll rotatably mounted thereon with its axis at right angles to the crankshaft axis, guide means on said frame in-sliding engagement with said carrier for permitting rotation of said carrier on said crank pin and for preventing movement of the carrier axially along said pin, spring means having operative connections with said frame and crankshaft for rotating the latter in one direction to urge the carrier and upper roll downward toward the lower roll, and a lever for rotating the shaft in the opposite direction to move the carrier upward to separate the rolls.

6. Roll feed mechanism for feeding strip stock including a frame, a pair of cooperating feed rolls, drive means for one of the rolls, means for supporting the rolls on said frame with their axes lying in a common plane and angularly and bodily movable with respect to each other in said plane including bearings on the frame for rotatably supporting said one roll, a movable support having bearings for rotatably supporting the other roll, means for guiding and moving said support while maintaining said other roll with the axis thereof in said common plane including a crankshaft journaled in the frame at right angles to said plane and having a crankpin journaled in said movable support, lever means for rotating said crankshaft, and means including a spring operatively connected with said crankshaft for rotating the latter to urge the movable support and the roll carried thereby toward the lower roll.

7. Roll feed mechanism for feeding strip stock including a frame, a pair of cooperating feed rolls, drive means for one of the rolls, means for supporting the rolls with their axes lying in a common plane and angularly and bodily movable with respect, to each other in said plane including bearings on the frame for rotatably supporting said one roll, a movable support having bearings for rotatably supporting the other roll, guides on the frame for slidably supporting said movable support to maintain said other roll axis in said common plane, a crankshaft journaled on the frame at right angles to said planes having a crankpin operatively connected with said movable support, lever means for rotating said crankshaft, and a spring operatively connected with said crankshaft for rotating the same, said spring being so positioned and connected with respect to said frame and the axis of said crankshaft as to be effective in one angular position of the shaft to rotate it in one direction and effective in another angular position of the shaft to rotate it in the opposite direction.

8. Roll feed mechanism for feeding strip stock including a frame, a lower feed roll journaled on the frame and provided with drive means, an upper feed roll carrier slidably mounted on the frame for vertical and rotating movement in the plane of the lower roll axis having an upper feed roll journaled thereon, a crankshaft mounted on the frame having a crankpin pivotally connected with the roller carrier along an axis lying in a plane at right angles to and passing through the center of the roll axis, a lever adjustably positioned on the shaft for rotating the same and having a crankpin thereon radially spaced from the axis of the shaft, and a shaft operating spring interconnected between the frame and the last namedcrankpin.

9. A roll feed assembly including a frame having a plane surface machined thereon and provided with spaced parallel vertical slots, a cover plate provided with corresponding vertical slots on one face, a pair of spaced journal blocks provided with slots on opposite faces and positioned between the frame and said cover plate face with corresponding slots in register, a lower feed roll journaled in said blocks, four spaced and parallel vertical guide members in said slots extending upward above said journal blocks, means extending through the cover plate, guide members, journal blocks and frame for clamping them together, an upper roll carrier slidably mounted between said guides and having an upper feed roll journaled thereon with the axis in a plane common to the lower roll axis, a roll carrier support having slots registering with said vertical guides and mounted thereon, registering slots in said guides and support perpendicular to said common plane, keys in the last named slots secured to said support, and means for moving the upper roll carrier and roll relative to the lower roll including a crankshaft journaled in said support at right angles to said common plane having a crank-pin journaled in said upper roll carrier, a lever adjustably positioned on the shaft for rotating the latter, and a spring operatively connected between the frame and shaft for rotating the latter to urge the upper roll carrier and roll toward the lower roll.

10. A roll feed mechanism including a frame, a cover plate, spaced journal blocks clamped between the cover plate and frame having a lower feed roll journaled thereon, vertical slots on opposite faces of the journal blocks, registering slots on the frame and cover plate, vertical keys in said slots for preventing lateral displacement of the blocks relative to the frame, said keys extending upward above the journal blocks and forming vertical spaced parallel guides, a support having slots registering with said keys, said support being mounted on said keys at their upper ends, registeringslots in the ends of said support and in said keys, other keys in said slots secured to said support and serving to rigidly position said support on said vertical keys, an upper feed roll carrier slidably supported between the first named keys and having an upper feed roll journaled thereon, and means for varying the spacing of said rolls and for urging the upper roll toward the lower roll, including a crank-shaft journaled in said support at right angles to the plane of the roll axes having a crankpin journaled in said roll carrier and spring means having an operative connection with the carrier, said connection being at the center of the carrier.

11. Roll feed mechanism for feeding strip stock including a frame, a pair of cooperating feed rolls, drive means for one of the rolls, means for supporting the rolls on said frame with their axes in a common plane and angularly and bodily movable with respect to each other in said plane including bearings on the frame for rotatably supporting said one roll, a movable roll carrier slidably mounted on the frame for rotating and vertical movement in said common plane and having the other of said feed rolls rotatably supported thereon, and means for varying the spacing of the rolls and for normally urging said rolls together including a rotatable crankshaft and a spring carried by the frame and operatively connected to said carrier substantially in a plane passing through the center of said other roll at right angles to the axis thereof.

12. Roll feed mechanism for feeding strip stock including a frame, a pair of cooperating feed rolls, drive means for one of the rolls, means for supporting the rolls on said frame with their axes in a common plane and angularly and bodily movable with respect to each other in said plane including bearings on the frame for rotatably supporting said one roll, a movable carrier slidably mounted on the frame for vertical and rotating movement in said common plane and having the other of said feed rolls rotatably supported thereon, and means for controlling the positioning of said other roll with respect to said one roll including a spring and a roll carrier actuator shaft mounted on the frame and operatively connected to the central portion of said carrier.

13. A feed roll supporting assembly for a roll feeder including a pair of spaced journal blocks, said blocks being interposed between a frame and a cover plate, means for clamping said frame, journal blocks and cover plate together, means for preventing relative lateral displacement of said frame, blocks and cover plate comprising four vertical spaced parallel members keyed to the frame, cover plate and journal blocks and extending upward therefrom to form spaced parallel guides, an upper support provided with vertical slots adapted to register with said vertical members, said vertical slots being in sliding engagement with said members at their upper ends, and means for positioning said upper support on said members including transverse slots in each end of said upper support, registering transverse slots in said members, and keys at each end of said upper support positioned in said slots and secured to said support.

14. Roll feed mechanism including a frame having a lower feed roll journaled thereon and provided with drive means, an upper roll carrier having an upper roll journaled thereon and slidably mounted for vertical and rotating movement on the frame with the axis of the upper roll maintained in a plane common to the axis of the lower roll, a crankshaft journaled on the frame at right angles to said plane and having a crankpin operatively connected with the central portion of the carrier, and means for controlling the operation of the crankshaft including a second crankpin mounted on the shaft, means for adjustably positioning the pin on the shaft angularly thereon about the axis thereof and for maintaining said positioning, spring means interposed between the frame and said second crankpin for rotating the shaft, and a lever connected with the shaft for effecting rotation of the shaft against the force exerted by said spring on said second crankpin.

15. Roll feed mechanism including a frame, a lower feed roll journaled on said frame, drive means for said lower feed roll, an upper feed roll carrier, an upper feed roll journaled on said carrier, and means for adjustably positioning said carrier on the frame with the axis of the upper roll maintained in a plane passing through said lower roll axis and bodily and angularly movable in said plane including an upper support member slidably mounted on the frame, clamping means for positioning said support member relative to the frame, a crankshaft journaled in the support member and provided with a crankpin having a pivotal connection with the carrier, and means for rotating the crankshaft to eifect bodily movement of the carrier relative to the support member.

16. Roll feed mechanism including a frame, a lower feed roll journaled thereon, an upper feed roll, and means for supporting the upper feed roll with the axis thereof maintained in a plane passing through the axis of the lower feed roll and bodily and angularly movable in said plane including a crankshaft journaled on the frame with the axis at right angles to said plane and having a crankpin, and a carrier for said upper roll journaled on said crankpin, said upper roll being journaled on said carrier with its axis at right angles to the axis of said crankpin.

17. Roll feed mechanism for strip stock including a frame, a lower feed roll journaled on the frame and provided with drive means, a crankshaft journaled on the frame with its axis at right angles to a plane passing through the axis of said lower roll and having a crankpin, an upper roll carrier journaled on said crankpin, an upper feed roll journaled on said carrier with its axis at right angles to the axis of said crankpin, spring means for urging the carrier and upper roll toward the lower roll, and

lever means on the crankshaft for rotating the latter to move the carrier and upper roll away from the lower roll against the force exerted by said spring means.

18. Roll feed mechanism for feeding strip stock including a frame, a lower feed roll journaled on the frame, an upper feed roll carrier, an upper feed roll journaled on said carrier, and means for moving said carrier to vary the spacing between said rolls and for guiding the carrier for maintaining the axis of said upper roll in a plane passing through the axis of said lower roll and angularly movable with respect thereto in said plane, said means including a crankshaft journaled on the frame and having a crankpin operatively connected with said carrier.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 693,113 Cook Feb. 11, 1902 1,163,984 Drewell Dec. 14, 1915 1,286,308 Hawkins Dec. 3, 1918 1,647,061 Stoop Oct. 25, 1927 1,718,146 Hartman June 18, 1929 1,826,495 Beck Oct. 6, 1931 2,283,096 Sandberg May 12, 1942 2,362,895 Ford Nov. 14, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 259,205 Great Britain Jan. 6, 1931 

